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Hippo population under threat from mysterious threat (Pic. The Independent)

NAMIBIA: WILDLIFE/NBC/12/10/17 SABANews 1

RUNDU – A mysterious disease outbreak, which authorities currently suspect to be anthrax, threatens to wipe out the hippo population in the BWABWATA National Park in North-eastern NAMIBIA.

The Environment and Tourism Public Relations Officer has issued a statement saying the outbreak needs not affect tourism; although warning people to avoid touching or eating the meat of the dead animals.

ROMEO MUYUNDA says there is no health risk for visitors to the region because the affected parts of the Park are not open to the public, but are exclusive areas for wildlife management only.

However, he has called on tourists to avoid straying near the affected area by any means, while also strongly urging members of the public to avoid consuming or touching the meat – saying it will be catastrophic if they do.

Meanwhile, Mr MUYUNDA says he is concerned about the survival of the hippo as a species, as they continue to die in big numbers.

Environment Permanent Secretary MALAN LINDEQUE has told NBC News the authorities hope the deaths will remain localised in a limited area, because similar outbreaks have occurred before and animals were able to recover fast afterwards.

The NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC website has reported lots of hippos, some lying on their sides, others completely belly up, but all mysteriously dead and partially submerged in a lake; saying what confuses locals even more is how quickly it happened.

It quotes Acting Environment and Tourism Director JOHNSON NDOKOSHO as saying they spotted the FIRST hippo on ONE OCTOBER; and since then at least 100 have turned up dead.

The NAMIBIAN official says the government is carrying out tests to determine the type of disease they are dealing with in the BWABWATA National Park, which is sandwiched between ANGOLA and BOTSWANA./Sabanews/cam

HARARE – The international community is in panic mode as droughts hit AFRICAN communities and fierce hurricanes devastate poor island states of the CARIBBEAN Region.

The populated area around the CARIBBEAN Sea comprises islands and coasts, south east of the Gulf of MEXICO and North AMERICA, east of Central AMERICA, and north of South AMERICA.

The Head of the UNITED NATIONS Information Centre in HARARE, ZIMBABWE, says Secretary General ANTONIO GUTERRES is visiting a number of the affected islands this weekend.

TAFADZWA MWALE says he has called on the international community, in advance of the trip, to be more generous and help rebuild the islands as well as speed up efforts to implement the PARIS Agreement.

The global deal, also named the PARIS Climate Accord or the PARIS Climate Agreement, is within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – dealing with Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation.

Ms MWALE says next FRIDAY, 13 OCTOBER, is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2017.

She says it comes as CARIBBEAN islands, covering TWO-MILLION-754-THOUSAND square kilometres with a population of about 39-MILLION-170-THOUSAND, are rebuilding from the devastations of hurricanes IRMA and MARIA.

They say Climate Change threatens the rich and the poor alike; and from MIAMI and PUERTO RICO to BARBUDA and HAVANA, effects of the 2017 hurricanes across LATIN AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN prove the impacts of Climate Change respect no borders.

The THREE experts say Category FIVE hurricanes have brought normal life to a standstill for millions in recent weeks in the CARIBBEAN and on the AMERICAN mainland, with HARVEY, IRMA and MARIA having been particularly damaging.

Some THREE-MILLION-400-THOUSAND people of PUERTO RICO have been scrambling for basic necessities including food and water.

The island of BARBUDA has been rendered uninhabitable, and dozens of people are missing or dead on the UNESCO world heritage island of DOMINICA, yet the impact is not confined to this region.

The UN officials say record floods across BANGLADESH, INDIA and NEPAL have made life miserable for some 40-MILLION people, with more than ONE-THOUSAND-200 dead, many left homeless, crops destroyed, and a number of workplaces flooded.

They say 20 countries have declared drought emergencies over the last 18 months, with major displacements taking place across the HORN of AFRICA, comprising DJIBOUTI, ERITREA, ETHIOPIA, and SOMALIA, who share a long history of linked cultures.

The impact of disasters can be severe for least developed countries, reducing livelihoods and progress on health and education; while for developed and middle-income countries economic losses from infrastructure alone can be massive.

The UNITED NATIONS officials say for both the poor and rich nations, the events demand the need to act on a changing climate that threatens only more frequent and more severe disasters./Sabanews/cam

DAR ES SALAAM – Military authorities in TANZANIA say they have now managed to end activities of pirates along the shores of water bodies including the INDIAN Ocean as well as Lakes TANGANYIKA and NYASA.

TANZANIA People’s Defence Forces Chief General VENANCE MABEYO says they have beefed up security and sealed off serious threats that existed in the areas between 2008 and 2012.

The DAILY NEWS newspaper says he has revealed the development during a televised program on local stations.

General MABEYO says pirates had been capturing ships entering the country, forcing some of them had to use alternative routes like SOUTH AFRICA, largely affecting the economy of TANZANIA by pushing commodity prices up.

General MABEYO says the Naval Command has since worked hard to ensure pirates and other criminals who have been using the same routes to traffic humans to different parts of the world, are dislodged.

He says technological advancements have seen crimes carried out differently, and security personnel are being well trained and educated to ensure they are able to use sophisticated tools.

General MABEYO says there also has been an increase in the number of firearms owned by civilians, yet TANZANIA is host to people fleeing their countries due to conflicts – some of them taking advantage of the situation.

He says the authorities should control the country’s own weapons from spreading around and then identify how illegal arms are making their way in; and they should examine incoming goods at all times to ensure security.

The TANZANIA Defence Forces Chief says the military is calling on members of the public to give their support to identify people in their areas who they deem suspicious./Sabanews/cam

CHILONGA – RUNDE River continues to kill people each rainy season in the South-eastern ZIMBABWE area of CHILONGA, where a bridge was washed away by Cyclone ELINE in 2006.

The NEWS DAY newspaper says the water body is violently flooded whenever it rains, and many cases of drowning are recorded as people attempt to cross, either on foot, on canoes, or in motor vehicles.

It says despite a government promise 11 years ago to rebuild the overpass, the coming rainy season spells doom for the SHANGANI people who live on either side of RUNDE River and others who pass through.

The publication says last year alone, at least 10 people, SIX of them motorists and FOUR villagers using dug-out canoes, drowned after they attempted to cross the flooded river.

However, it quotes Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister JORAM GUMBO as saying the authorities have plans to reconstruct the Bridge, a project temporarily shelved due to the harsh economic environment.

He says they are currently mobilising resources amid hardships caused by sanctions imposed by the BRITISH-led Western powers and the UNITED STATES.

BRITAIN campaigned vigorously on the international arena to punish ZIMBABWE after the former colony displaced about FOUR-THOUSAND white farmers to resettle millions of stranded black peasants.

The embargo, combined with serious levels of corruption both in the public and private sectors, saw the closure of factories and other revenue channels – leaving the State coffers dried up.

Nevertheless, the authorities still face the duty to rebuild collapsing and rotting infrastructure throughout ZIMBABWE, including on the seized farms – where looting and vandalism have rendered some of the properties run-down./Sabanews/cam

It says a military statement has named the latest victims as Corporal MASELINO PASCHAL FABUSI and Private VENANCE MOSES CHIMBONI, bringing the total number of lost TANZANIAN soldiers to THREE so far.

The Army says the killings took place this MONDAY after a group of rebels attacked the soldiers 24 kilometres outside the north eastern city of BENI, lying immediately west of the VIRUNGA National Park and the RWENZORI Mountains.

UN Spokesperson STEPHANE DUJARRIC says 18 other peacekeepers were injured during the MONDAY attack, and the world body has formed a board of inquiry to investigate the incident.

Secretary-General ANTONIO GUTERRES has in turn strongly condemned the series of raids blamed on the ADF rebels in the NORTH KIVU Province.

The UN statement says he has offered his condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as to the Government of TANZANIA; wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Meanwhile, the UN Chief has warned the DRC rebels of possible prosecution for war crimes under international law for attacking peacekeepers – also saying all armed groups should lay down their weapons./Sabanews/cam

THYOLO – At least SEVEN people have been brutally killed by mobs of villagers over the past few months on accusations of sucking the blood of humans in Southern MALAWI.

The NYASA TIMES newspaper says President PETER MUTHARIKA has finally broken his silence on the scaring developments, which he says are affecting development in affected areas.

It says vigilante mobs are directly executing people suspected to be vampires in the southern districts of MULANJE, PHALOMBE and THYOLO, and the Head of State has pledged to visit the communities from 13 to 17 OCTOBER.

President MUTHARIKA has revealed the plan at a political rally at KALIYEKA Primary School, where he was campaigning for ruling DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY Candidate REUBEN NGWENYA ahead of a by-election on the 17TH.

He has described reports of fatal mob violence resulting from the imaginary blood sucking stories as agonising and distressful, saying he is deeply concerned with the developments.

President MUTHARIKA says he does not know who started the rumour in the country, but he understands the claims originated from Northern MOZAMBIQUE.

He says he has sent out officials to sensitise the villagers and the situation has improved, as cases of mob justice are slowly dying down; but he will still make a tour to address the communities personally.

Traditional leaders and villagers have teamed up with the State-funded MALAWI Human Rights Commission to seek government intervention after the mob killings of suspected blood suckers had gone out of hand./Sabanews/cam

MAPUTO – SADC is slowly realising its hopes for regional integration, given the number of cooperation deals between member states in different economic, political and social sectors.

MOZAMBIQUE and MALAWI have just signed an agreement worth TWO-BILLION-500-MILLION US dollars to expand the NACALA Development Corridor.

RADIO MOZAMBIQUE says the project involves improvement of rail and road facilities stretching over some 900 kilometres crossing both countries to the INDIAN Ocean.

It says the signing, held in the capital, MAPUTO, involved MOZAMBICAN Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister OLDEMIRO BALOI and MALAWIAN Transport and Public Services Minister of JAPPIE MHANGO.

The TWO governments expect the Corridor to encourage economic growth through viable businesses in the transportation, agriculture, commerce, mining and tourism sectors.

Minister BALOI says his government and MALAWI will now be able to respond to the transport challenges their countries have been facing all along.

He says the recent deal strengthens an accord they signed NINE years ago in 2008 to set up the Corridor, which the authorities now want to expand and modernise.

The NACALA Development Corridor will further help the countries face the current logistics and transport challenges suffered because of the budget deficits they have been recording lately.

MOZAMBICAN Transport and Communications Minister CARLOS MESQUITA, who has also witnessed the signing ceremony, says the agreement will benefit both MALAWI and MOZAMBIQUE.

He says the facility is enabling his country transport coal from the MOATIZE Region to the Port of NACALA for export, with passenger trains also operating from NACALA to ENTRELAGOS in NIASSA Province and on to MALAWI.

Minister MESQUITA says the NACALA Development Corridor is a tool that will have a very strong impact on the development of the TWO neighbouring countries.

He says the project will help develop agriculture, tourism, trade, and other areas linked to the development of the involved countries – including other landlocked nations like ZAMBIA and the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.

The MALAWIAN Transport Minister says his government will work to ensure both public and private operators use the MOZAMBICAN Port of NACALA for their imports and exports, to fulfil the cooperation deal./Sabanews/cam

WINDHOEK – The Head of the NAMIBIA Mental Health Unit has called on society to treat mental illnesses like any other health problems, because that is what they are.

HILEN NDJABA says mental illnesses are treatable and patients can continue to function in their daily lives the same way other people with problems like heart diseases and diabetes can.

She says the rest of society, especially employers and workers, should learn to respect people suffering from mental complications in order to remove the current misconceptions.

DR NDJABA says many people are reluctant to disclose their mental medical reports to their bosses for fear of losing their jobs.

She says employers, in fact, do not want to take employees back once they produce records of mental illness, which is why people are scared to admit they need help and seek treatment.

On the other hand, DR NDJABA says the patients also plead with their doctors to write anything else on their medical certificates, except a mental illness condition.

She says companies should put in place initiatives to promote mental health care and support for workers with such disorders, instead of sending them home or victimising them.

Medical authorities say mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behaviour, or a combination of them.

They say mental illnesses are common conditions associated with distress and/or problems functioning in family, work or social activities, and they do not discriminate.

Anyone can suffer from the diseases regardless of age, gender, income, social status, race or ethnicity, religion or spirituality, sexual orientation, background or other aspect of cultural identity.

The illnesses can occur at any age, but 75 percent of all mental cases begin by age 24 – and they take many forms, some being fairly-mild and only interfering in limited ways with daily life, like certain phobias or abnormal fears.

However, a number of other mental health conditions are so severe that a person may need care in a hospital; yet they can all be treated.

NBC News gives an example of LUKAS AMAKALI, a bank employee who the broadcaster says has proven a person with mental illness can be as productive as anyone else can.

Mr AMAKALI had ONE of the common illnesses, Bipolar Disorder, involving episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs, which diagnosed 22 years ago.
They admitted him into a Mental Health Unit for ONE, after which he returned to his job at the bank and has since spent many years of service.

The NAMIBIAN bank worker says it is not easy to deal with mental illness when the rest of society judges and isolates you./Sabanews/cam

The government of NAMIBIA is inviting all the people claiming ancestral inheritance to land in the country to come up with proposals for a way forward.

State radio, NBC News says President HAGE GEINGOB has made the call while addressing delegates during the 2017 Independence Celebrations in the northern town of RUNDU.

It quotes the Head of State as saying it is vital to reach national consensus through consultations, before proceeding with new measures to address the land problem.

Researchers say NAMIBIA inherited many economic, social, and political challenges from the colonial and apartheid eras after independence, including land dispossessions.

THE NAMIBIAN newspaper says thousands of landless NAMA, SAN, HERERO, and DAMARA ethnic groups have gathered in the southern town of KEETMANSHOOP to demand their ancestral land.

It says they claim they were dispossessed of the land during the colonial GERMAN and apartheid SOUTH AFRICAN regimes.

ONE MP of the ruling SWAPO Party has addressed a mass meeting held under the banner of the LANDLESS PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT at the J STEPHANUS STADIUM in KEETMANSHOOP.

THE NAMIBIAN quotes BERNADUS SWARTBOOI as saying the gathering has been the most glaring display of legitimate discontent in the administration of the country, calling on the President to address the issue now.

NBC News also quotes President GEINGOB as saying the land issue is complicated, because no records exist to clarify, for example, to whom the land of the capital, WINDHOEK, and surrounding areas belong.

He says the SAN people or BUSHMEN also seem left out of the discussion, even though they have more right to claim a large proportion of the country than any other group of NAMIBIANS.

President GEINGOB says NAMIBIA wants to apply fairness in governance, and not visit wrongs done by the fathers on the children of today.

The NAMIBIAN Leader has asked all citizens of his country to hold hands in dealing with the land problem, to get it solved amicably; and while maintaining a strong foundation of peace, stability and unity.

VICTORIA – President DANNY FAURE of SEYCHELLES has met with the IMF Executive Director for the ASIA and PACIFIC constituencies and small island states.

State radio, SBC News says HEENAM CHOI has paid a courtesy call on President FAURE at State House in the capital, VICTORIA.

It says discussions between the Head of State and the IMF boss have touched on ways to ensure equal distribution of the national wealth to the population.

They have also talked about means by which the IMF can help SEYCHELLES regarding the issue of de-risking, amid reports saying international banks are cutting off their correspondent relationships with the SADC country.

Economic experts say de-risking, especially in a business context, means taking steps to make something less risky or less likely to involve a financial loss.

Mr CHOI has emphasised on the importance for countries to have sound and regulatory systems on anti-money laundering and safety issues, which he says might be ONE of the major IMF roles.

He says the SECOND role the world body can play is to strengthen dialogue with international rule setters like the EIS and the FSB.

The IMF Executive Director for the ASIA and PACIFIC constituencies and small island states says through dialogues, like the one he has held with the SEYCHELLES Leader, the IMF raises the de-risking issues.